Beets, Glorious Beets. I have a genuine affliction towards the beet. Beets are incredible, and in my opinion under appreciated. Besides being the namesake to this website, they are filled with nutrients to help your heart “beet”.

Cheesy, but true. Here are four of the top health reasons why beets should play a bigger role in your diet!

Boost Athletic Ability

Beets have naturally occurring nitric oxide, which acts as a vasodilator in the body. Vasodiliate means that it literally dilates or opens up the blood vessels allowing for increased blood flow. Increased blood flow can enhance your exercise tolerance and endurance by providing more oxygen into your blood. So, next time you’re getting ready to compete in a race, prime yourself with some beets. It will actually help improve your overall athletic ability.

Lower Blood Pressure

But let’s say running a race isn't your thing. Who else could use some more oxygen in their blood or a drop in blood pressure? Millions of Americans, that's who!

With heart disease and high blood pressure afflicting a high percentage of Americans, beets can help get the symptoms of the conditions under control. Again, this is because they help deliver oxygen and open up arteries to lower blood pressure. While this doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll be completely off your meds, but it’s a big step in the right direction.

Decrease Inflammation

Beet comes from the word “betaine”, which is a nutrient that acts to protect the cells in the body against stressors, and therefore decreases inflammation.

Cognitive Function

Those nitrates we discussed above, by allowing the blood to be more oxygen-rich, they also bring oxygen to your brain. Lack of blood flow to the brain can cause of dementia and alzheimers.

Side Effects

There’s one major side effect with beets and thats the pink hue it can leave in your urine. But fear not. The pink stuff is a reminder that beets were just swimming around in your blood and oxygenating it, spreading love to your cells, and decreasing inflammation in its path.

Its a reminder that everything we eat travels through our entire body until it comes out, so with that I say choose what you eat wisely. What kinds of foods would you want hanging out in your blood? Beets work for me.